Fallen One (Book three of Alfireán age)

- The Final Attack -

The world shifted around Alf as he saw Rinnia being pierced by an earthen spike.

With the vision still lingering in his mind, Alf threw out his hands and a shield sprung to life in front of the ethereal woman. A fraction of a second later, The Fallen One's attack crashed into the barrier, and the azure shield exploded, bursting and dispersing in a torrent of earth and magic.

Then everything blurred around him as Zaphaniea sent him vision after vision of incoming attacks, each one only milliseconds apart.

Time seemed to slow down as Alf blocked out the world. His eyes narrowed; his hands, arms, and legs moved so fast it felt as if they were going to fall off, and each moment stretched into eternity.

But still, he wasn't fast enough. A sword clipped one of Olivia's wings; another elemental burst shot straight through the fire guardian, and a crescent slice left a deep gouge in Zaphaniea's left thigh as she desperately tried to use her spheres to protect everyone else.

Alf stopped trying to deflect the ones aimed at him and focused on the others, dodging to the left and right as best he could. Pain blossomed in his right leg as fire and water tore into it. Agony pierced his left side as a long, spindly sword shot through him; blood ran down his face as a crescent slice clipped his left ear and shoulder, but still he pressed on, ignoring the pain as vision after vision poured in.

And then at last, it was all over.

One hundred swords laid around them: some in the sea, others boring deep craters in the already decimated sacred island, and others still soaring through the air, flying off into the distance.

Against all odds, they had survived the Fallen One's 'One Hundred Sword Requiem.'

Suddenly, Alf found himself plummeting out of the sky as Drake slid off his sphere and towards the ocean below.

Ker-splash!

Salty water engulfed Alf, pouring into his open wounds. He hissed as pain flooded through him once again, and the water rose and fell as Zaphaniea splashed down next to him. Gritting his teeth, Alf swam to where Drake had hit the surface and sunk beneath the waves.

As the smell of salty water and iron filled his nostrils, Alf reached down, grabbed the prince by the back of his shirt, and hauled him back up. Crimson blood mingled with the water around Drakovian's waist, and his ripped shirt clung to his injured side. Alf grimaced at the sight and pulled the near-comatose boy onto his shoulder as he swam towards the shore with Zaphaniea in tow.

Reaching the shoreline of the ruined island, he fought through the crashing waves and fell to his knees. Then laying Drake down on the sandy shore, Alf frantically scanned the horizon for the others.

During the onslaught, he had known where everyone was thanks to Zaphaniea's visions. Now, however, he couldn't see them anywhere; though that was probably because his eyes wouldn't focus and everything in front of him appeared as a giant blur.

Alf panted, trying to catch his breath as darkness played at the corner of his eyes. His body was at its limit. He had expanded his vast energy pool and now exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him.

Light flared at his side, and Alfonso glanced back to see Zaphaniea kneeling beside Drake with golden energy streaming from her fingertips. It was the first time he had ever seen the grand champion try to heal someone, but despite the gesture, the prince feebly pushed her hand away and pointed at a sword lodged in the solidified lava several feet inland.

To Alf's horror, the sword shook and vibrated, trying to break loose. As he watched, the blade hummed with energy and the rock around it shattered, releasing its hold. Free of its captivity at last, the sword whizzed away, flying back up into the sky.